Greetings from Alan Abramson

Written by Alan Abramson Thursday, 13 October 2011 16:27

Dear Tranquillity-ites:

Tempus fugit! Time marches on! This is how Pearl would begin many of her conversations and addresses to us. Despite the fact that we may associate Pearl with an old fashioned, bygone era, she was always looking to the future. Those of us who were fortunate enough to work with her in our adult lives would marvel at how quickly a good idea became a tradition at Camp or with the Alumni. Whether it was teaching timeless values about giving back and living together, or whether she was encouraging us to raise money to perpetuate Tranquillity Camp, it was always about building stronger people, financial stability and core beliefsfor the future. The “past” helps us build a great future bygiving us a contrast between the traditional and new while providing a solid foundation of values and experiences for the future.

This week, several events occurred that have helped illustrate to me that dwelling on the past is only important if it helps us build a brighter future for ourselves and those we care about. Together with many Tranquillity Friends, I attended the Jan Cohen Memorial Foundation Annual Golf Outing. Collectively, we support this event together with many friends of Jan’s family, and in return, the Foundation makes a substantial financial contribution to the Friends of Tranquillity Camp. Paul and his children Robin, Stacy, Andrew and Bruce do an extraordinary job of organizing and hosting the event. With Paul & Jan’s grandchildren as current campers, they are truly a Tranquillity family of the past, present and future. To them and to our “Friends” volunteers who manned the contest holes, thank you for your effort and continuing inspiration. I cannot imagine a greater tribute to our special friend Jan. This event is only 3 years old and growing. It is new but traditional. It is building to an even more successful future while it helps us ensure ours. I urge you to monitor the website and join us next year. Play golf or just join us for dinner. It is a distinctly Tranquillity experience.

Whenever Tranquillity-ites gather, we tell stories about when we were kids, and reminisce about childhood friends and our Tranquillity experiences. I am always surprised about how some of us remain traumatized or at least indignant over some meaningless incident or misspoken word when we were campers, or by some recent misunderstood words. Inappropriate behavior should never be tolerated, but our record of success and longevity should speak for itself. All of us deserve the benefit of the doubt because our mission is bigger than any one individual or act, and we all work for a great present and even better future.In the spirit of the high holidays, let me issue a collective apology to all who feel wronged in any way, so that we can all move forward and do whatever it takes to become a contributor to this great organization. Contributing to the development of deservingchildren is a higher calling for a better future.

As another means to a better present and even better future, I am pleased to announce that we are ready to take new steps toward growing our progress in social media. Our website has been an important start but we need to look into Facebook, Twitter, Constant Contact and other forms of electronic community development. We are looking for volunteersof any age to deal with content, updates and planning new services. If there are high school students, college students, recent graduates or young professionals with the skill and time to contribute, we will designate them as formal unpaid interns, replete with recommendation letters and real experience. This is not only a great way to stay close to Tranquillity but it is a surefire resume builder as well.

Happy New Year from me, Alice and our family to yours. May your year be full of happiness, good health, prosperity and Tranquillity. Yours in Noblesse Oblige,

Alan